Council cannot put latest grant funding towards Peterborough youth zone plans
Peterborough City Council has provided the latest update on its plans for a youth zone after it was revealed that the latest grant funding from government could not be used towards it.
In September this year, the city council received confirmation of a successful bid from the Departments for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for the delivery of the Local Youth Transformation Pilot.
The total grant amount given to Peterborough was £673,471.06 plus another £50,000 for capital spend on digital enhancements as part of the pilot.
The pilot is aimed at developing the infrastructure and support for the current youth sector in Peterborough to enhance and improve the youth offer for all young people in the city.
At a cabinet meeting on December 16 where the new youth funding was discussed, Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Christian Hogg claimed Peterborough's youth sector had seen a decline in government investment over the last 10 to 15 years.
"It's really nice to see there's money available so we can start scaling this provision back up again," he said.
Cllr Hogg also asked whether the new grant funding could be used towards the council's youth zone plans for the city.
The council is currently developing proposals for a youth zone on the Embankment in partnership with charity OnSide, which would offer affordable access to sports, arts, and activities supported by dedicated youth workers.
Cllr Katy Cole, Labour cabinet member for children's services, responded: "The money can't be used for a youth zone, but what it can be used for are youth clubs such as Eye youth club, boxing clubs, and other youth club type activities.
"They can apply to have some of this money to support and expand their services."
John Gregg, executive director of children's services at the council, added: "Securing a youth zone for the city would be a fantastic achievement. It's something that Adrian [Chapman] and I talk about regularly.
"It's something we aspire to but the reality is that it requires a significant amount of capital investment and then there are the challenges around revenue costs and then the local leadership and management of such a facility."
Peterborough City Council is working with OnSide to develop the youth zone plans, a charity which has already built several youth zones across the country from Carlisle to London.
Cllr Mohammed Farooq, deputy council leader and cabinet member for growth and regeneration, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Within the last month members have received a presentation on the youth zone and have been in positive discussions with OnSide.
"We are currently considering the next steps for the project."